Sustainable forest management

A. Ahlström has a long history as a responsible forest owner and manager. Sustainable and good forestry keeps forests vital and maintains growth, enabling forests to best sequester carbon. Sustainable and economical silviculture is an important value for us as a forest owner.

A. Ahlström has been owning forests for 170 years, and at the moment, the total area of its forest assets is 35,000 hectares. The forests are managed economically and ecologically sustainably, taking into account their social impact. Taking into account the diversity of forests and nature is one of our operating principles.

Our three-year nature monitoring project, which continued in 2021, is one example of the way we protect natural diversity. The project identifies areas that are particularly vital for biodiversity: for example, areas that have rare plants or are otherwise important as habitats. The areas are excluded from forestry activities or treated in a manner that preserves their special characteristics. So far, 230 naturally important habitats totalling 345 hectares of forest have been excluded from forestry operations within the project.

Our large forest holdings are also an important carbon sink. The planting of new trees and the maintenance of seedling stands are essential measures for increasing and maintaining the carbon sink. Vitality of the forests increases the carbon sink of the forest.

Wetland that has been drained into woodland has a major effect on the annual growth of trees and carbon sequestration. These peatland forests are a way of ensuring carbon sequestration in the soil through logging that aims at uneven-aged management. This evens out fluctuations in the groundwater level, which slows down the decomposition of peat.